Evaluation and improvement of rail station name list signage on platform for direction by VR experiments with eye-tracker

Although considerable research has been conducted on signage, there remains room for further study on platform station name list signage. To evaluate and improve this, wayfinding experiments were carried out in a virtual reality-based rail station. Participants' multidimensional eye movement data and wayfinding performance were collected. The results revealed that participants strongly favored horizontal signage (HS), while vertical signage (VS) demonstrated better wayfinding performance. Additionally, participants exhibited varying levels of attention towards different regions of different types. Based on these findings, the signage was modified, outperforming HS in effectiveness and surpassing VS in information clarity and conciseness. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of passengers' cognitive behavior during wayfinding on subway platforms, particularly concerning diverse signage types, and provides valuable recommendations for signage evaluation and optimization. • Utilize VR with eye-tracker to study passengers' wayfinding behavior on subway station platforms. • Reveal passengers' signage selection and corresponding wayfinding performance. • Conduct detailed analysis of passengers' visual behavior concerning various signage during wayfinding. • Implement signage improvements and propose optimization suggestions for subway station layouts.